Pacifist plateau a Holocaust haven
THE plateau surrounding Le Chambon harboured between 3500 and 5000 Jewish refugees in World War Two.
Books
The woman who would be president
LIKE everything in Hard Choices, this tale has already been reported, meaning it is a collectable for Hillary Clinton fans.
Fiftysomething blokes butt of laughs
NICK Earls’ laconic charm is are muffled by cheap laughs and lazy cliches, and the only surprises are the ones you expect.
Unbelievable sleight of hand
THERE is something quintessentially American about the life of Harry Houdini.
Sharing the love for literature
WE have been on weepy waters recently, with reviews of books such as Poems That Make Grown Men Cry.
Books of war vie for biography prize
WAR dominates the shortlist for this year’s $25,000 National Biography Award.
A life truly lived
AMY Nuggett’s life encompasses many dramatic shifts in our black-white relations.
Potter greys up for new JK Rowling story
HARRY Potter, now a father of two, appears as a VIP guest at the Quidditch World Cup in a short story posted on Rowling’s website.
Outsiders find voice
THE multifaceted continent-skipping century-traversing constitution of Philip Hensher’s latest novel, The Emperor Waltz, renders it highly ambitious.
Roy Jenkins embodied Asquith
THERE is a wealth of incidental political trivia in this fine book about former British chancellor Roy Jenkins.
Vodka, coke, Keith, candour
ROLLING Stone Keith Richards is the most terrifyingly honest rock star the world has seen.
The pity of it
THE poetry of the Great War helped put an end to the idea that it is a ‘sweet and honourable thing’ to die for one’s country.
Lives writ large
GIVEN its popularity, there is something fascinating about the way historical fiction makes so many people so uneasy.
Singing her praises
CONGRATULATIONS to English writer Evie Wyld on winning this year’s Miles Franklin Literary Award for her second novel, All the Birds, Singing.
Poets of the pastoral
POETS Geoff Page, Alan Gould and newcomer Todd Turner are presenting their efforts in new anthologies.
Tales of a road scholar
JOHN Waters was 66 when he undertook to hitchhike from his home in Baltimore to his apartment in San Francisco and write a book about the experience.
Decaf and duty-free
OWEN Beddall’s Confessions of a Qantas Flight Attendant is both a memoir and a repository of stories.
Literary world mourns Hachette chief
PUBLISHERS, authors and book lovers yesterday mourned the death of Hachette Australia chief executive Matthew Richell.
eReaders, wearables endangered species
THE ebook reader as we know it is on death row and even wearable technology faces a limited future.
Surfer identified as publishing boss
THE man who drowned surfing at a Sydney beach yesterday has been identified as Hachette Australia boss Matt Richell.
Fragments of a culture
SAVING scraps of Baghdad’s books has given an artist hope.
Singing from Menzies songsheet
ANNE Henderson’s latest book, Menzies at War, traces how Robert Menzies revived his career after early failure.
Funnily enough, comic templates go far
WHAT this book tries to do is nail what made the Romans laugh.
Throwing the book at rural suicide
ALMOST two decades have passed since Pat McDermott’s younger brother Matthew hung himself from a peppercorn tree in rural NSW.
Ming was the real thing
IN Menzies at War Anne Henderson has written a compelling account of the first prime ministership of the future founder of the Liberal Party.
A whole new bawl game
WHAT a wonderful idea for a book is Poems That Make Grown Men Cry: 100 Men on the Words That Move Them.
Revelling in the unexpected
Mr Mercedes isn’t, on the surface, a thriller; and you can bet the consensus will be that Stephen King is writing what will be called ‘‘off-piste’’.
Read it and weep
AN important new book of poetry tells men it’s OK to take an emotional punch.
Bereaved men go to the brink
THERE can’t be many novels with titles more at variance with their subject matter than Joyful.
Doctor’s ill will a bitter tonic
‘‘I AM a doctor,’’ is how the narrator of Summer House with Swimming Pool, opens his story, before revealing his rage and disgust.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/books/page/200